This year I was invited to ring the Salvation Army Bell, I jumped at the chance.

Christmas shopping with the sound of the ‘bell’ is a memory from childhood thru today as I rush in and out of stores with my Christmas packages or groceries, the Salvation Army bell-ringer is there. Do I always see them or acknowledge them, no….

The Salvation Army began in the late 1800’s and as we know they work diligently to help at disaster relief with shelter, food and counseling. What I didn’t know about the Salvation Army were the personal stories of people who have been touched by the Salvation Army.

I told friends that I would be ringing the Salvation Army bell in Los Osos and in San Luis Obispo and they shared with me their stories. One friend mentioned that her uncle was an alcoholic and many times her Dad did not know where his brother was. He was found in his car by a Salvation Army worker in L.A.’s Skip Row, given food, shelter, counseling and he was able to see his brother again before he passed away.

Someone else said his sister had been a heroin addiction for over 20 years in San Francisco when she asked for help at the Salvation Army and has been clean for the past 15 years.

Another friend said, his brother had vanished, a trouble soul who just walked away from his family. The Salvation Army has helped to keep them in touch, giving the family peace in knowing their son/brother/friend is safe & alive.

The Salvation Army ‘Bell-Ringer’ I discovered is more than someone asking for money, they are a welcome friend of the Holiday Season. The people of Los Osos have been very generous dropping dollars to coins as I ring the bell and wish them Merry Christmas.

I also discovered people like me who are too ‘rushed’ or ‘busy’ to see me, and do not want to make eye contact with me. They walk past without acknowledging me or look the other way. To those people, I’d like to say, its okay you do not have to donate, I’m not pan-handling, I’m a volunteer for the Salvation Army! I understanding being over-whelmed at this time of year and with organizations asking for donations, no worries share your best attribute, your beautiful smile, that’s what I will be doing if I don’t have change to donate.

The Rotary Club of Los Osos will sponsor a Community Service Project & Fund-raiser today, Saturday June 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Collection Center will be at the Trinity United Methodist Church ‘parking lot’ on Pine at Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos.

Shirley Hulin is an active member of the Rotary Club of Los Osos and past-president. She has also recently completed the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) GREEN Designation course. Her new tagline is Reuse, Recycle, Reduce.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”® Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County. Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties. Thank you, for your referrals.

This poem was read by our Rotary Club president and has been sent to me via e-mail for the past week, incase you did not receive it I’m posting it for you to read today. It made me teary eyed.

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys

or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn’t worry whether or not

my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night

watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn’t want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn’t stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn’t know the feeling of

having my heart outside my body..

I didn’t know how special it could feel

to feed a hungry baby.

I didn’t know that bond

between a mother and her child.

I didn’t know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom.

On this Mother’s Day,

Bless all the Mothers and those she loves

Bless all the Mothers on earth and above.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”® Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County. Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties. Thank you, for your referrals.

As a REALTOR® and professional business person our duties are held to a higher a higher standard by the ‘Code of Ethics’ with that said, I would like to clarify our roles as real estate consultants.

We can offer a variety of services from working with first-time home buyers, to investors and sellers of residential or commercial properties. There are agents who now specialize in ‘Short Sales’ and REO’s bank real estate-owned properties. This is their niche and that’s all they do many have teams and have built a good business.

A few have moved on to the next level to include ‘Loan Modification’ for homeowners who are upside down in their loans or their property’s value has dropped below market value. I hear this all the time on the radio and occasionally on TV agents advertising that they can help homeowners with their loan modifications some charge a fee for this as well.

Agents are required to have a real estate broker’s license and if they work under an agency they must have the approval of their own broker or be an attorney. To collect advanced fees they are required by the CA Department of Real Estate to get an Advanced Fee Agreement form approved by the state. And the Errors & Omission insurance policy should include a policy for foreclosure consulting services.

HUD is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and they want REALTORS® to assist in getting the word out that there is help for homeowners through the government’s program, “Keep your Home”. You can learn more by going to: http://www.hud.gov/keepyourhome/ or calling 877-483-1515.

There is also another government website that has detailed information and self-assessment tools for you to evaluate if you are eligible for the new loan modification or refinance programs. To learn more go to: http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/about.html

And most importantly remain in contact with your lender, gather your loan papers together, review them and stay informed. There is hope in these tough economic times.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”® Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County. Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties. Thank you, for your referrals.

On Tuesday as we ran between the rain drops we preview some great homes.My favorites were near Laguna Lake, the first off Royal Way on Partridge.This home is almost 1500 sq ft and is a custom built two bedroom two bath home with vaulted ceilings, floor to ceiling windows allowing the outdoors in.Hand-carved doors, custom cabinets, tile floors. Private patios & lush gardens surround the home. This home would be a prefect for two and is nestled in one of the nicest neighborhood in San Luis Obispo.If you are a hiker, you will find the neighborhood trailhead at the end of Royal Way leading you to the Irish Hills Natural Reserve and Trail.

A newly renovate three bedroom two bath home on Oceanaire is located closer to Laguna Lake.It has been beautifully painted inside and out.New kitchen and baths, hardwood floors and carpet in the living room and bedrooms, the front and backyards have been completely landscaped, the driveway is now concrete and the roof has been replaced. This home is move-in ready.This is a great walking neighborhood, a ½ mile walk to your local market or better yet a stroll to small parks that are look points over Laguna Lake.

Downtown San Luis Obispo featured my favorite home this week located ½ mile from the ‘heart of downtown’ and the Thursday Night Farmer’s Market.It is steps from the San Luis Creek which meanders all through the City of San Luis Obispo.This home on a quite street off Lincoln & Chorro and is an older home built in 1952, I admire the builders vision in this home and with classic lines that still work today.

As you approach what appears to be the front door you are actually entering a serene & sunny courtyard before reaching the front door.The living room has hardwood floors and a brick fireplace, a large family kitchen and three bedrooms.The courtyard leads you to a large backyard with several flower gardens and raised vegetable gardens; there is even a gate to the neighbor’s yard for backyard chats.This is a walking neighborhood to little parks nestled between homes to longer walks to downtown slo.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”®Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County.Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties.Thank you, for your referrals.

In the last 35 years the amount of waste has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day.Californians send 40 million tons annually to landfills. Right now Americans on average only recycle 30% of their garbage.[1]

Every time you put trash into the waste basket in your office or the kitchen and empty it later into the big waste receptacle you are sending it straight to the landfill.Label your trash container, “Landfill” as a constant reminder to reduce your waste.

Reduce your impact of waste by cutting done before buying food and other packaged goods.Think how you can avoid extra packaging and how much you will be throwing away.Consider buying a one gallon bottle of juice verses 8 individual servings of juice or better yet consider frozen juice.You add the water to the juice and will have less packaging & waste by using your own container.

Reuse that juice container or cottage container for your own ‘lunchables’.Cut down on paper napkins by using cloth napkins at dinner time and cloth kitchen towels that you can reuse over and over again instead of paper towels.Clothes are the easiest to recycle, either at a consignment shop where you can trade clothes and earn money.Donate clothes to thrift shops and your neighborhood Goodwill®.

Recycle all of your newspaper & magazines, soda cans, aluminum products such as pie tins and foil, glass and if you must use plastic bottles from juice or soda, please remove the caps they are a different plastic than the bottle.(Reminder, plastic is made from one of the most important energy resources, oil.)Take your cans and bottles to recycle centers and earn extra money to start an herb or vegetable garden. Start a community project, recycle and donate the proceeds to the ‘Food Bank’ in your town.

Small simple steps to save our Earth will make a big difference to our future; join me by working the three R’s daily.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”®Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County.Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties.Thank you, for your referrals.

You have found the prefect affordable home on the Coast, it needs a little work but that’s okay you have family and friends with building backgrounds.

The home is a three bedroom two bath 1200 square foot house on a large lot with a sunny porch overlooking a front yard filled with weeds protected by a white picket fence.You can see a rose & herb garden.Inside the previous owner has stained the original hardwood floors a rich brown and has added skylights in the living room where a fireplace adds warmth to the room.

The bright and sunny kitchen is open to the living room and you can visualize entertaining friends and family here.The French doors in the kitchen takes you out to the patio and fenced yard where summer barbeques will be a must.

The home is not in prefect condition, it needs work but you are willing to complete the projects and make this home yours.

You have met with your lender and have a pre-approval letter in hand, when you then sit down with your REALTOR® to write up an Offer.

Your agent has a concern regarding the loan and the underwriter guidelines because the kitchen is lacking appliances; the previous owner has removed then including the kitchen sink!Not usual we have all read the stories and you don’t mind because you want to pick out your own energy efficient appliances.

A phone call to the lender verifies that the kitchen appliances need to be in place prior to the close of escrow.Lenders must be more careful insuring that their clients have a safe home to live in and not in need of additional funds for major repairs in some cases this can be a Health & Safety issue.

When you have your prequalification meeting with your lender, ask them their policies regarding Foreclosures & Fixers it will prevent heartache. It’s better to know the rules before making an Offer.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”®Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County.Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties.Thank you, for your referrals.

Last week, I attended a two day seminar, ‘Green Designation’ sponsored by the National Association of REALTORS® this course gives agents a better understanding of green real estate principles.It also helps us to be better consumers and stewards of our own ‘footprint’.

This class was an awakening not just another designation behind my name for me.I always felt that I was someone who was a good recycler, I changed my light bulbs to CFL’s, we have low-flow shower heads, we have fruit trees and we gave up our lawn five years ago to save water.As a real estate professional, I am a member of SLO Green Build and have advised my clients where to purchase ‘green’ materials to update their homes.

What I discovered in this seminar is that I was only touching the surface; there is so much more to learn & share with my family, friends, clients and ‘Blog’.

I have ordered the blue recycle trash containers for each desk in my San Luis Obispo office, we already have them in Los Osos.The agents have agreed to recycle paper by printing on both sides.We are also collecting inkjet cartridges, all small changes to help make a big impact on our office and community.

At home we are going to use our clothes dryer less by ‘solar or air drying’ our clothes.And we are going to start a compost pile to enrich our garden.

If you want to make some simple changes start with the CFL light bulbs, weather-stripping door and windows, turn off your computers, TV’s when not in use and recycle your trash.Remember if it you don’t recycle all your trash goes to the landfill.

Consider starting a vegetable garden and sharing the fruits of your labor with your neighbors, or using natural soy candles, homemade soaps and green cleaning products.

To be eco-friendly think of the 3 R’s, reduce, recycle and reuse.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”®Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County.Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties.Thank you, for your referrals.

In San Luis Obispo in the Country Club area, off the golf course but close enough to ride your golf cart to the ’Club’ you will find this million dollar view and home.

This French Country home sits on a ½ acre with concrete drive-way and lush green lawns with colorful flower gardens.As you enter into this sunny single-level home with open living space and vaulted ceilings you will be impressed by the simple elegance. The kitchen has granite cover-tops, an open kitchen looking onto the backyard and this view, the family room is open to the kitchen.The Master bedroom is spacious and it also faces the open space behind this property.This home features four bedrooms 3 baths, with formal living & dining rooms, two fireplaces and an outdoor entertaining area.This property will appeal to many buyers wanting green open space with the all the amenities of living in close to town.This home is price at $1,150,000.

For serious boaters wanting to sail up to their private dock and luxury home you will find a modern 2400 square foot brand new two-story home with three bedrooms and three full baths in Morro Bay.This home is prefect for entertaining with its open floor plan and five fireplaces in each room for ‘Point Source Heating’.The private deep boat slip is included in the list price $2,375,000, beautiful sunsets guaranteed.

If you are looking for something a bit bigger and off the water but with similar views, I have a Villa to show you.Built in 2007 this Morro Bay home has taken every advantage of the spectacular views of the bay and sand dunes.The entry way into this home has two custom elegant water features and an unbelievable media room with all the bells and whistles, a work-out room and two bedrooms are on the first floor.As you walk up the spiral stairs you will find the open kitchen and living room with arched panoramic windows and an outdoor deck for entertaining and barbeques where you can climb the ladder to the upper sun deck, the Master bedroom is also upstairs.This is living at its best with stairs near-by to the bay front, parks, shops and finest restaurants in Morro Bay.List price $2,750,000.Call me or e-mail for a showing. Additional photos on my Facebook page.

“If this is your kind of town…let me show you the neighborhood.”®Live the ‘slo life’ in San Luis Obispo County.Shirley Hulin is a full-time REALTOR® and manager for Century 21 Hometown Realty she works with a team of professionals who are ready to help you with all of your Real Estate needs in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties.Thank you, for your referrals.